The present invention relates to systems and methods for monitoring sensors of equipment and/or control of equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to the monitoring and control of equipment that operates with little, if any, human intervention. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to self-sustaining, autonomous, monitoring, reporting, and control systems powered by renewable energy.
Machines that operate for the most part without human intervention are ubiquitous in our society. Familiar examples of such machines include the electric motors and associated compressors of residential refrigerator and air conditioning units used in our homes. Less familiar machines that operate for the most part without human intervention may be located far from our communities, in locations that are often unobserved by the public and unfrequented by even the persons that own or operate the machinery. Examples of these machines include turbines, compressors, pumps, and storage tanks used, for example, in the oil and natural gas industry.
Industrial equipment, such as the just mentioned machines used in the oil and natural gas industry, is often located in areas that are so remote that access to hardwired communication lines is often unavailable. Despite the remoteness of the location and the lack of communications, the equipment at any given site must be routinely monitored.
Monitoring of industrial equipment at any site is critical to safe and cost efficient operation of the site. By monitoring operating parameters of the site's equipment, an owner/operator is often able to identify problems before they become serious. Even a seemingly minor failure of a first machine can induce a major failure of an associated second machine. As used herein, a minor failure is one that does not cause complete stoppage of a machine, while a major failure can cause complete stoppage of a machine, environmental damage, or even loss of life or property.
Control of industrial equipment at a site is also critical to safe and cost-efficient operation of the site. For example, if alerted to a minor failure of a first machine, the owner or operator may beneficially decide to shut down both the first and second machines to mitigate operating losses.
Because of the remoteness of many sites, and despite the need for frequent monitoring and control of the equipment at these sites, most sites receive only routine periodic visits for purposes of maintenance. Routine periodic visits may maintain the machines in working order, but there are times when routine periodic visits are insufficient. For example, a coolant level in a radiator of a pump motor might be routinely inspected once a month, however, an unexpected coolant leak might occur shortly after a physical inspection. Before the next physical inspection occurs, the radiator might become inefficient causing the pump motor to run hot and eventually seize, resulting in a major failure of the pump motor.
Improvements in site monitoring might be possible if all equipment at a given site included integrated means that would make it possible for each machine to periodically “phone-in” its status. Unfortunately, this situation does not exist. Improvements might also be possible if all equipment at a given site operated according to a single standard for communication of status. Again, this situation does not exist. Even if some solution to the problem of the lack of any means to promptly, or even spontaneously, collect the status of machines at a given site existed, the problem of communicating the collected status to a person responsible for maintaining the machines is still present. Today, there are no known sites that contain an integrated system that can collect diverse reports of the status of multiple machines and record that information, or record and transmit that information from locations that have no access to hardwired communication networks.
Consequently, the typical practice of today is to have a worker travel to each site to observe and record data presented by each machine and/or associated sensor. Sites might be separated by tens of miles from each other. Typically, one worker will travel a route, from site to site, collecting data. This method of data collection is time consuming, wasteful of fuel (e.g., gasoline required for the worker to travel his circuit), and human resources. The repetitive nature of the work may be boring to the worker. Boredom and complacency may lead to improper recording of data.
At each site, the worker observes multiple analog and digital gauges. Readings from the gauges may be manually recorded. In many instances, even if data is collected at the site by a processor-equipped device, the data output by the device is not “user friendly.” That is, the data is not immediately usable by the worker because it is presented as an alphanumeric code, rather than a meaningful statement. For example, a gas flow analyzer might display the code “ERR 013.” To the worker in the field, without a table to cross-reference the code to a meaningful statement, the code is nothing more than a series of characters to be recorded on a data log.
The worker eventually delivers the collected data to one or more data collection areas, where the data is analyzed. If analysis indicates an anomaly in any operating parameter of the equipment, the worker may again be dispatched to the site for closer analysis of the equipment or to adjust equipment controls (including shutting down equipment) to take preventive action. At this time, especially in a case of a remote-site that is not connected to telephone infrastructure, monitoring of equipment at the remote site cannot be performed via the Internet or mobile telephone. Additionally, there is no known system that can remotely and securely apply control signals on demand (as opposed to automatically) to adjust the performance of, or shut down, one or more pieces of equipment at a site when the site has no access to hardwired communication infrastructure.
The inability to remotely collect data and control equipment at oil and natural gas sites may lead to dangerous situations. Oil and gas production involves the handling of substances that are toxic to humans and wildlife. These substances cause environmental pollution if they are spilled or released. Monitoring of the equipment at remote oil and gas production sites is critical to maintaining the machinery in good and safe working order. Undetected degradation in the integrity of the equipment at an oil and gas site can have detrimental effects to both the machines and the environment.